Social Economic Disadvantage and Untreated Dental Caries: Findings from a Cohort Study in Adolescents

Abstract

This study aimed to assess the impact of determinants of the individual and contextual level on the untreated dental caries during adolescence. A cohort study was started in 2012 with a random sample of 1,134 12 years-old adolescents in the city of Santa Maria, RS, Brazil. The adolescents were clinically evaluated by calibrated dentists and investigated variables: contextual, demographic, socioeconomic factors, dental service use, toothache, and subjective variables. After two years (T2) and six years (T3), the same adolescents were reevaluated (retention rate of 67.9% and 67.8%, respectively). Untreated dental caries (component "D" of the DMFT index) was the outcome and was collected at all three times. Multilevel Poisson regression analyses considered repeated measures (level 1 - times), nested to adolescents (level 2), were used to assess the association between predictors (baseline) and untreated dental caries. High neighborhood’ mean income was associated with the lowest risk of dental caries. Low household income [Incidence Rate Ratio (IRR) 1.57; Confidence Interval (CI) 95% 1.35-1.82], low mother education (IRR 1.19; CI95%1.03-1.38), toothache (IRR 1.73; CI95% 1.47-2.03), gingival bleeding (IRR 1.23; CI95% 1.05-1.45), and poor self-perception of oral health (IRR 1.19; CI95% 1.07-1.32) were risk factors for untreated dental caries. In conclusion, our results showed that socioeconomic disadvantages and oral conditions in early adolescence are risk factors for untreated caries among adolescents.

In vitro study of the preventive activity of fluoride varnish by X-ray diffraction

“…To conduct preventive programs in which methods and means are used to prevent the main risk factors for the development of caries of temporary teeth. Creating recommendations on this basis would allow the selection of the most appropriate methods and tools for prevention and treatment and would increase their effectiveness [29], [30] Other scientists such as Ortiz et al [31] consider that untreated dental caries and low socioeconomic status in the period of early adolescence are risk factors for oral diseases among young patients. Major public health concern is oral health, with dental caries being the most common global disease, followed by periodontal disease and orthodontic and maxillofacial deformities [32]- [35].…”

Impact of gingivitis on oral health-related quality of life in 12-year-old schoolchildren of Quito, Ecuador

“…Gingivitis is the most common form of periodontal diseases and is highly prevalent in children and adolescents (Du et al, 2019;Chen et al 2020, Ortiz et al 2022,Singh et al 2022. Most investigations reveal that parental educational level, family size and toothbrushing frequency are associated with gingivitis in children and adolescents (Du et al, 2019;Chen et al 2020, Ortiz et al, 2022,Singh et al, 2022.…”